Project Description
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Interview with
MACKENZIE PORTER
(3rd August 2022)
Interview by Samantha Meuleman
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About MACKENZIE PORTER:
Canada-born, Nashville-based MacKenzie Porter is rising to international acclaim with a distinct country-pop style. Building momentum with a six-week U.S. #1 in Dustin Lynch collaboration “Thinking ‘Bout You,” Porter made her own mark simultaneously, releasing brand-new songs “Coming Soon To A Bar Near You,” “Pickup,” “Unlonely Me” and “Heaven Heard Me.” Her “mesmerising vocals and hook-driven songs” (Billboard) continue to spark headline-worthy accolades, debuting on the Grand Ole Opry in late 2021, earning four 2021 CCMA Awards nominations, and a 2021 JUNO nomination for her Joey Moi-produced Country Album of the Year contender, DRINKIN’ SONGS: THE COLLECTION. Making history in 2022, Porter is the first Canadian female artist this century to have five #1 songs at country radio. Porter also earned her first crossover Top 10 at Canadian pop radio – a first since 2003 for a Canadian country artist – with “These Days (Remix),” and joined CMT’s elite Next Women of Country class of 2021. The triple threat previously starred in cult-followed sci-fi television series Travelers now on Netflix, and has opened for Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Walker Hayes, Jordan Davis, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, as well as label mates Dallas Smith and Chris Lane.
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MacKenzie: Hey!
Sam: Hi Mackenzie. How are you?
MacKenzie: I’m good. I just got home. I’m home for one day and then out on the road again so it’s been very busy.
Sam: Wow. Thank you for taking the time to have a chat with us. So part of your tour and everything that’s coming up is you’re coming to Australia!
MacKenzie: Yes, I’m so excited. Literally just last weekend, we were, flying, I can’t remember where we. Oh, we were in San Diego. And I was like, hey, we need to start like planning what we’re doing on our off days in Australia. I wanted to book reservations and go on little excursions and see stuff. So I’m just so pumped to come over and not only play for people I’ve never played for before, but also just like, have a vacation too on our days off.
Sam: Yeah, for sure. Do you think you’ll go to Australia zoo? That’s sort of a must do.
MacKenzie: Probably! I haven’t done much research yet. I’ve been to Australia one other time and this is back in, I think was probably like 2012, but I went there to go visit somebody. And then basically we did some stuff, but not a whole lot. But yeah, I want to hit all of the staples.
Sam: Yeah, that’d be awesome. So, you’re playing CMC rocks, which is our biggest country music festival. Have you heard anything about what that festival is like?
MacKenzie: I’ve just heard from other artists that it’s such a wild, fun time. That people really go all out. I love that at festivals. I love when people’s energy, just like, I don’t know, it’s just such a different feeling when, as an artist, if you go up on stage, and people are just like, ready to have a good time. It makes my show better because I’m kind of feeding off them, and they’re feeding off me. And I’ve just heard that they’re the most fun country events in the world over there.
Sam: I think it was Kip Moore, and he’s played it a couple times, he said it’s one of his favorite crowds to play to so get excited. And if they pressure you to do a “shoey” please don’t feel pressured! Have you heard of a shoey?
MacKenzie: I have heard of a shoey and like, okay, if you know me, my one thing is I do not like feet. Like I don’t like even my husband’s. I’m like, oh, don’t touch me with your feet. I don’t like ‘em. So, we were joking around with my band. I’m like, maybe if it was a new shoe, but like, is that a thing?
Sam: I mean, I guess you could have a shoe put on the side that’s like brand new hasn’t been touched! But yeah, they’ll probably be like chanting, shoey shoey, shoey, during the set, but don’t feel pressured. It’s just a thing that everybody does at that festival, it gets hectic.
MacKenzie: We did like we were, you know, like playing a game the end they were like, would you rather the newest shoe or to pick somebody’s shoe? And my whole bands like I would pick MacKenzie’s shoe, and I was like I would pick the newest shoe! Or maybe mine, but like, it was just funny that they all picked mine. I’m like, mine is probably the cleanest out of all the boys too.
Sam: So you’re also joining Brad Paisley on his tour around Australia and Morgan Evans is joining that as well. How excited are you to play with Brad? That’ll be awesome, right?
MacKenzie: I’m so pumped. I mean, I did a little tour with him back in 2020. And we had played six or seven shows then COVID hit and so it was just like done. So I’m super excited to pick that back up. And Morgan is actually one of the first people I ever met in Nashville, like as another artist and is a good friend of mine. So it’ll be just such a fun, fun time. My husband’s coming the whole time too. And then one of my band members who we’re really good friends with, his wife is coming, so it’s just gonna be like such a good hang.
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Sam: Yeah that’ll be awesome. I’m hoping to make it to at least the Melbourne show and I do music photography as well so hopefully I’ll snap some good pics for you!
MacKenzie: I would love that! It’s honestly, this will be the trip we’re looking forward to the most this whole year. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is that flight so that’s gonna suck, but that’s okay. Maybe I’m going to take like an Advil PM or something and try to fall asleep!
Sam: The flight is worth it! I’ve done the flight to and from Nashville before and once you get here hopefully you’ll be like, oh, so worth it.
MacKenzie: The only thing I’ve heard that it’s worse coming back to Nashville. It’s probably because at least you’re excited to go like, go to a different place and play shows and all this kind of stuff. But to come back home, it’s like you’re just tired!
Sam: Yeah, the jetlag really hits you post trip.
MacKenzie: Yeah.
Sam: So, your song These Days went number one in Australia. Is that going to be one that audiences will be able to hear live for the first time over here?
MacKenzie: Absolutely. Yes, of course. It’ll be really cool to see like, I have no idea how people are going to, you know, respond to my set and my music. And I’ve talked to a few people and they’re like, oh, they’ll know the songs. And that will just be such a cool thing if that does happen. And if not, we’re just gonna put on an amazing show. I’m just excited to experience what everyone’s talked about.
Sam: Yeah, I think you’ll find that you’ve got some passionate fans over here. There are heaps of Aussies that just love country music and you’ll feel that. So that song These Days was a co write for you. You wrote it with Jordan Sapp and Parker Welling. What was what was the co-write experience like for it?
MacKenzie: Well we wrote it in one day. I think I made a trip home to do some writes between the seasons of the show that I was on. And we wrote it that day, we could not get the chorus, we were just like struggling with it. And then we actually rewrote the chorus probably three or four times, and I zoomed with Parker, she came into the studio with me and my producer. It was kinda a song we really worked at and I’m so glad we did, because it does feel right now. And obviously, people enjoyed it. So I’m really happy with it.
Sam: And your latest song Pickup is just so fun. I love the lyrics, just the play on the word Pickup. You know, “who’s that pickup picking up now?” So you co-wrote that with Lydia Vaughan and Will Bundy. What was the inspiration as far as the story and the play on words?
MacKenzie: Nobody really had an idea that day in the write. I mean, I feel like we write so much that it’s like, it’s kind of hard to walk into the writing room and always have an idea. So we were kind of sitting there thinking, you know, if I did have a song, what would I want it to sound like? And I can’t remember how “who’s that pickup picking them now” came out. But we both said it or somebody said it and I was like, that’s really cool. And then of course we quickly Google it to see if anybody else has done it. Because it feels like somebody should have done it and we’re like, no, I don’t think anybody’s really done that. So we wrote that. And again, I’m like the queen of rewriting things. We wrote that song. There’s two different versions of that one. And the second version, obviously is like the record version. But yeah, it was just kind of like a magical day in the studio, and it just kind of clicked.
Sam: That’s so awesome. And it’s got a really cool music video where you’re playing a Barbie and everything. Who came up with the idea? Who did you work with for that?
MacKenzie: So, Lydia and I, the other songwriter, were on a writing retreat. And I knew I had to zoom call with the director of the video, and I was like, I don’t have any ideas. The way him and I usually work is I’ll come in with an idea or he’ll come up with an idea. We kind of do it together. And I just didn’t have a concept. I knew what everybody else would do with it or what I thought like the typical treatment for a video would be and I really didn’t want to have that. So, I was sitting there, and Lydia and I were having a couple of margaritas. I’m like, what should we do? And we came up with this concept of like, the Barbie and, you know, somebody’s coming and taking the Barbie out of that life and you’re kind of like swept out of this relationship that you want to be in. So, a lot of that was Lydia honestly and her and I came up with the whole thing. And then I pitched it to the director and he loved it. And we went with it.
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Sam: And, and how long was the shoot for the music video?
MacKenzie: It was just one day. We had the house and then we had a green screen kind of setup within that house. And it was maybe 14 hours kind of set. We shot it pretty fast.
Sam: That’s really good to knock it over in a day.
MacKenzie: Yeah.
Sam: You work with the producer Joey Moi quite a lot. What’s your relationship with him like when you’re going back and forth in the studio and kind of working through a track?
MacKenzie: So, I put out an independent record back in 2014 or something like that. And he heard some of that and he ended up introducing me to the label, which is his label, and my management like all these people, he kind of took me under his wing. He’s really been like my biggest supporter in Nashville since day one. And you know, I saw him today, him and I are just like, tight, we’re friends and he has really believed in what I’ve been doing for a long time. And I’m so grateful for that because he’s so good. He’s just so talented.
So, our process is kind of like, I blow up his phone all the time and send him all the songs I’m writing. I’m like, what about this one? What about this one? And he really liked A&R’s the project with another one of the owners, Seth England, at Big Loud the company that I’m assigned to. And once we have the song Joey and I go into the studio with a band and we cut it together, and he is, you know, producing it and I’m there throwing out my opinions, too. And then we’ll go into his studio, and I’ll cut vocals and harmonies and ad libs and all that kind of stuff.
Sam: Yeah, awesome. And did he introduce you to Dallas Smith? And is that how that new song One Too came about?
MacKenzie: Actually, Dallas introduced me to Joey. So, Dallas saw me at a show and he text Joey and was like, hey, you got to check out this girl. And then next time Dallas is in town he asked me to come hang out with him and Joey and I went and that was kind of like the end of it there.
Sam: What made you kind of come together for One Too?
MacKenzie: So, neither of us wrote the song. We had heard the song that actually, you know the band Seaforth?
Sam: Yep. Yeah, they’re Aussies.
MacKenzie: They wrote it with a couple other people, and I had heard it and we loved it. And it was actually pitched by our head of radio. She’s like, what about if MacKenzie and Dallas did the duet and Joey’s like, we should do that song called One Too. And so, one day, I got a call from Joe and he’s like, you want to do a song with Dallas called One Too? I’m like, I mean, I do. I don’t know if Dallas wants to do it with me, but I would love to. And Dallas texted me and he’s like, dude, let’s do this. And it was just kind of a natural thing. We have the same team, so it makes sense. And Dallas has been such a big supporter of me. He’s taken me out on tour, and he’s just been such a great friend. It was a no brainer for me.
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Sam: Yeah, that’s awesome. Because that’s song’s climbing up the charts over here in Australia as well.
MacKenzie: Oh really? I didn’t even know that. I mean that’s amazing. I love that.
Sam: Yeah, so I’m sure the Aussie fans will enjoy that one too.
MacKenzie: That’s actually good to know because I didn’t even know if I was going to do that. I mean, I’ll obviously do it now, but I didn’t know it was that high on the charts already.
Sam: Yeah, Aussies are loving your music over here which is great.
MacKenzie: I appreciate it. I mean, I will come back as often as I can. Once I see like how the audience reacts if they are digging it and then I would love to come back all the time.
Sam: Oh, that is so good to hear. Another duet you did was Thinking ‘Bout You with Dustin Lynch. What was that like working on that song?
MacKenzie: It was honestly like a life changing experience for me. Dustin is such an amazing person and it happened right during COVID, so I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do, because I couldn’t be out on the road, and I couldn’t put my own music out because you know, COVID, and nobody at radio really knew me. So, it was just kind of stressful time. And I remember getting that call and being asked to be on the song with him. And the song was huge. I could have never imagined how that song would perform and how long it would sit at number one, like we broke records with it. And at the end of the day, I’m just so grateful to like, be included in it with Dustin.
Sam: So, working with Dustin Lynch, he chose you specifically for that track right?
MacKenzie: Yeah. So he actually auditioned basically a bunch of people because he had the song out with Lauren Alaina, who is a friend of mine, she’s incredible. And their schedules did not work for radio. So with two different labels, you have to get permission from both labels that those artists could promote that song at that time. And Lauren was on a different song. So she wasn’t able to do it. But Dustin’s team felt like, this is a really big song, it’s reacting really well on like streaming services like DSPs, and Apple, Spotify, all that kind of stuff. And he wanted to put it out. So he’s like, if she can’t do it, then maybe I’ll put it up with somebody else. He got, you know, asked Lauren, and then he basically auditioned a bunch of girls, and the way he did, it was kind of interesting. He took the names off of all of the vocals, so we all cut different vocals, singing that part and they mixed it in together. So he had just Singer A, Singer B, Singer C, down the line. And he’s like, I just wanted to base it off the vocal and not like, how many Instagram followers they have, what do they look like? Who’s their team? How big of a label are they on? All that kind of stuff. And he told me that he just heard my version and he’s just like, that’s the one and his team thought it too. The rest is kind of history.
Sam: And that’s so great that your voice speaks for itself, right?
MacKenzie: It was pretty cool. I mean, I was very flattered and excited and just so pumped. I was big fan of Dustin and before it I didn’t even know him, and obviously I’m a huge fan and friend of his now.
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Sam: Yeah, of course. You’ve co-written songs with some awesome, creative people. Do you have any funny or unique stories about how any of your songs kind of came to be?
MacKenzie: I just think like, it’s crazy how it happens. Like I was in a session with one of the, in my opinion, like the best writers in Nashville, Tom Douglas. I remember having all of these ideas just being like, okay, I’m going to bring in this idea, and this idea, and this idea, just so we had a bunch. And I got there and he’s like, I don’t know if I like dig any of those. I’m like, oh my gosh, what am I gonna like, I’m don’t have any ideas. Those are those were my ideas. And we just talked, and we came up with this hook “the one before the one” which is a song I released (The One). I just think it’s a cool experience where sometimes you don’t plan ahead and somebody says something in the room and that’s how like a song comes to life. And you know, you had nothing and all of a sudden at the end of it, you have something that you really love that you wrote and I just feel like that’s a kind of a cool experience in the writing room.
Sam: Who are your musical influences and are there particular artists that come to mind in country or other genres?
MacKenzie: I’m obviously a huge Shania Twain fan like she’s from Canada and I just feel like she always pushed the boundaries of how her music sounded and how she dressed and her music videos, all that kind of stuff, and I’m really inspired by that. I still feel like what she did is so relevant now. It’s kind of crazy because even now, as women and country, we’re still fighting those same things that she I mean, I don’t know if she was fighting them back then. Or if she cared, she just did them and it worked. And people loved it. You know, we’re still kind of in a box a little bit. So I’m really inspired by her.
From a writing perspective, one of my favorite writers is this girl named Julia Michaels. She’s written so many cool country songs and pop songs, and then she’s her own artist in herself. In town here I love Natalie Hemby, and Nicolle Galyon, they’ve written such amazing songs and I’m just, you know, a big fan of both of them as well.
Sam: Yeah. I love I love how much Nashville kind of fosters songwriting and just the whole creation process that’s there. I want to go back and I miss even just going to the Bluebird and performances In The around, because, having performances like that isn’t really a thing outside of Nashville or the States I’ve noticed.
MacKenzie: No, it’s not, and it’s such a special thing. I wish it was, I wish it was like a thing that was everywhere because it’s such a beautiful experience and people love it. Fans love it, artists love it, doing it, songwriters love doing it. It’s just a really cool way to, for me, like test out a song. You know, does anybody like this song? Does anybody react to it? You can kind of tell, you know, pretty soon in one of those situations. Yeah, I wish they did it in Canada and Australia and all over.
Sam: How do you juggle your music career and your acting career? And you were in a series called Travelers.
MacKenzie: Yeah. So I was in a TV series called Travelers. And you know what I’m trying to figure that out right now. Like yesterday, I did three auditions, and then today, I got another three. And I’m like, crap, I don’t really have time today to do it, because I was writing and then I fly tomorrow morning so I had to pack and get ready for these shows I have coming up. So I’m trying to balance it a bit more. But it’s definitely something I’m struggling with just because the touring that we’re on right now is so intense. I’m really like home one day a week, and I work when I’m home. And so I don’t know, I’m not sure I don’t have like an answer for that. But I do want to act again. And I have been auditioning for things and if the timing is right and the projects right then I will 100% do it.
Sam: Yeah. And the timing is one of the hardest things I guess with acting, especially in a show, because it’s just a huge chunk of the year that jt takes up.
MacKenzie: It really does. Yeah. I mean, I think some of the stuff I’m auditioning for right now is like a movie, so it would be like a month and that seems doable.
Sam: Yeah, for sure. Well, thanks so much for the chat and we’re all looking forward to seeing you in Australia. Hopefully I’ll be there for the Melbourne show and can shoot some great photos for you!
MacKenzie: I would love that, please! I would love that. Thank you for the interview, I really appreciate it.
Sam: Yeah, no problem. Looking forward to seeing you down under very, very soon.
MacKenzie: Thanks, girl. I’ll see you.
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MACKENZIE PORTER’s
2022 Australia and New Zealand
Tour Dates:
Saturday, September 24, 2022 – Willowbank, QLD – CMC Rocks
Sunday, September 25, 2022 – Willowbank, QLD – CMC Rocks
Monday, September 26, 2022 – Brisbane, QLD – Brisbane Entertainment Centre*
Thursday, September 29, 2022 – Melbourne, VIC – Rod Laver Arena*
Sunday, October 2, 2022 – Mareeba, QLD – Savannah In The Round*
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 – Sydney, NSW – Qudos Bank Arena*
Saturday, October 8, 2022 – Auckland, NI – Spark Arena*
(*w/ Brad Paisley)
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Follow MACKENZIE PORTER
Website – Twitter – Facebook
Instagram – YouTube
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Press Release 28th June 2022 (below)
DALLAS SMITH
and MACKENZIE PORTER
pack an emotional punch with
‘ONE TOO’
official music video
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Dallas Smith, Mackenzie Porter // Photo – Chris Hornbuckle
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3x CCMA Award winner for Entertainer of the Year, Dallas Smith and 15x CCMA Awards nominee Mackenzie Porter share the picturesque video for their latest collaboration ‘One Too’. The striking video from the Big Loud Records label mates arrives on the heels of Smith’s 12th Canadian chart topping hit ‘Hide From a Broken Heart‘ and Porter’s 5th number one Canadian country radio single Pickup‘. ‘One Too’ has surpassed 1M streams in just over a week and was the #1 most added at Canadian country radio last week.
Partnering with Country Now for its premiere, the great friends and label partners in real life deliver a visually stunning video. Filled with personally documented photographs and film clips captured behind the lens of a love lost between two people, watch the ‘One Too’ music video HERE.
Both artists shared their excitement about working together on the track with Smith saying, “’One Too’ strikes every chord personally and musically and I can’t think of a better duet partner to share this song with.” Porter adds, “Many of us know Dallas as an incredible artist, but what you might not know is how much he helps other artists around him. He shares his team, his band, his knowledge and connects the dots for artists he believes in. In 2022, I somehow convinced him to sing a song with me and it’s called ‘One Too’.”
Last month, the multi-platinum JUNO Award winner, Smith, kicked off his headlining Some Things Never Change Tour in Canada with James Barker Band and special guest Meghan Patrick plus emerging country artists Shawn Austin, JoJo Mason, Kelly Prescott, and Manny Blu. Remaining dates and details can be found at www.DallasSmithmusic.com. $2.50 will be added to the cost of each ticket to go towards Canadian mental health charities and services, on behalf of the Lifted Dallas Smith Charitable Foundation – a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring that mental health services are accessible to anyone and everyone in need.
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Dallas Smith, Mackenzie Porter // Photo – Chris Hornbuckle
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About DALLAS SMITH:
A multiple JUNO and CCMA Award winning entertainer, Dallas Smith is one of the most celebrated artists in Canadian country music. Amassing 18 Canadian Gold-certified singles, four Canadian Gold-certified albums, and seven Canadian Platinum-certified singles along with more than 500 MILLION collective streams to date and 2 MILLION global album equivalents. Smith is also the first and only Canadian country artist in the Nielsen BDS era to have TWELVE #1 singles, including four consecutive chart-toppers from the same album, and closed out 2019 as the most played artist (domestic/international) at Canadian country radio for the year. Adding to the list of accolades, Smith is the sole Canadian country artist in the Nielsen BDS and Mediabase era to earn TWELVE #1 songs in history and have 23 consecutive singles peak in the Top 10 of the country airplay chart. Smith is the three-time CCMA Award winner for Entertainer of the Year (2019/2020/2021), continuing to set the bar high for Country music in all that he does. In 2021, Smith launched the Lifted Dallas Smith Charitable Foundation – a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring that mental health services are accessible to anyone and everyone in need. Winner of four 2021 CCMA Awards (Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year), Smith announced the national headlining Some Things Never Change Tour for 2022 and most recently topped the Canadian radio charts with his 12th NUMBER ONE single “Hide From A Broken Heart”.
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Follow DALLAS SMITH
Website – Twitter – Facebook
Instagram – TikTok – YouTube
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